#10 - Tiger Wins Thirteenth Major Championship
In August of 2007, Tiger wins his thirteenth major golf tournament, the PGA Championship. He is now over two thirds of the way the to Jack's eighteen major victories. Tiger's quest to be the greatest golfer of all time continues.
#9 - Tiger Plays with Jack Nicklaus at the 2000 U.S. Open
In the first two rounds of the 2000 PGA Championship, Tiger is paired with Jack Nicklaus for the first time in tournament play. As the two legends walk off the eighteenth tee, Tiger tells Jack, "It's been an honor and a privilege to play with you. Let's finish off on the correct note."
Jack replies, "You got it. Let's go." Jack and Tiger proceed to both make birdies on the final hole. The confidence torch has officially been passed.
#8 - Tiger Wins Third Consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships
In the match play final, Tiger trails his opponent by five holes. Tiger wins the match on the second playoff hole. He says this about his three-peat, "The greatest players ever, Nicklaus and Jones, never did this. I like to be unique, to accomplish things that have never been done."
#7 - Tiger Meets with the Caddies of Augusta National
At six o'clock in the evening, after the second round of his first Masters Tournament in 1995, Tiger meets with the African-American caddies of Augusta National Golf Course. Until 1982, all participants were required to use them. Now, they're a forgotten group, as the pros always bring their own caddies.
After the meeting, Tiger conducts a clinic for African-American kids. Earl sums up the day when he says, "This is the culmination of a very hectic day. . . . I've watched this young man pass from adolescence to manhood, and I'm very proud of him."
From the very beginning, his parents always said, "We've raised Tiger to be a better person than he is a golfer." That day in Augusta proves they had done their job well.
#6 - Tiger Sees a List of Jack Nicklaus' Accomplishments
At the age of ten, Tiger sees a list in the magazine, Golf Digest, of Jack Nicklaus' accomplishments on the golf course and the ages when he achieved them. Tiger clips the list and posts it in his room. Jack is recognized as the greatest golfer of all time by virtue of his eighteen major victories. Tiger is using the list as a yard-stick to measure his own journey to surpass Jack.
#5 - Tiger Signs Endorsement Deal With Nike
At the age of twenty, Tiger wins his third consecutive U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament. The next day, he signs a $50 million endorsement deal with Nike, hops into Nike corporate jet and flies to his first professional tournament. In 2006, it's estimated that Tiger earned over $100 million dollars, mostly from his ever-growing list of endorsement deals. Tiger's well deserved reputation and his financial resources enable him make a major difference in the world.
#4 - Tiger Wins Four Consecutive Major Championships
The four biggest professional golf tournaments played each year are called the majors. In 2000, Tiger wins the 100th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by a record fifteen strokes. Later that year wins the British Open and the PGA Championship. Then in April of 2001, Tiger triumphs at the Masters Tournament to become the only person to ever have all four major trophies on his mantel at the same time.
#3 - Tiger Hits First Golf Ball
Tiger is ten months old. He watches his dad hit golf balls from a mat in their garage. Tiger climbs down from his high chair, grabs a small club his dad made for him, places a ball on the mat, looks at the target and hits the ball perfectly into the net. "I was flabbergasted!" Earl said later. "I almost fell of my chair. It was the most frightening thing I had ever seen!" In that moment, Earl and his wife, Tida, knew they had a prodigy on their hands.
#2 - Tiger Opens the Tiger Woods Learning Center
On February 10, 2006, the first Tiger Woods Learning Center opens in Anaheim, California. Here's what Tiger says about the 35,000 -square-foot facility. "My goal for the Tiger Woods Learning Center is to provide students with a place to explore their dreams and open doors to new opportunities and potential career paths. . . . . This is bigger than golf. This is bigger than anything I've ever done on the golf course, because we will be able to shape lives."
#1 - Tiger Wins 1997 Masters Tournament
With 15.3 million homes watching on television, Tiger becomes the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament. His eighteen-under-par score of 270 is a tournament record, as is his winning margin of twelve strokes. After he sinks his four-foot par putt on the final hole, television announcer Jim Nantz sums up the moment when he says, "There it is - a win for the ages."
With TV cameras following his every move, Tiger hugs his dad, Earl, who had recently undergone coronary bypass surgery. President Clinton calls Tiger later that evening and says the embrace was the best shot he saw on TV all day.
Earl Woods dies on May 3, 2006. Tiger takes over a month off from playing golf to be with his dad. After Tiger wins the British Open in July, he embraces his caddie, Steve Williams, and sobs uncontrollably. Steve whispers in his ear, "This one's for Pops."
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